History

In 1996 with the single vision of producing world class wines, Claude and Katherine Blankiet ushered in the estate’s vineyard, suitably named Paradise Hills. Blankiet Estate is located in the Napa Valley, one of the most prestigious wine growing areas in the world. Just an hour drive northeast of San Francisco, the property is nestled above Yountville on the western foothills of the Mayacamas Mountains.

With an ideal eastern exposure, the land is bathed with morning sun and benefits from natural shade in the hot afternoons. A constant cool breeze from the San Pablo Bay flows across the land. The vineyards are carved on steep hillsides just above the famed Napanook parcel that was originally planted in 1838 by Yountville’s founder, George C. Yount.

This land is of impeccable pedigree and has been the source of legendary wines. As evidenced by copious arrowheads discovered at the banks of a stream winding through the vineyard, it was once the hunting grounds of indigenous Indian tribes. Remnants of vine-stakes (hand hewn by elusive farmers during prohibition times) are still visible on vineyard patches hidden alongside the forest ridge road.

Paradise Hills Vineyard is located on three volcanic knolls separated by alluvial swells deposited by the creeks draining the mountain range. Soil profiles vary from deeply fractured rocks and volcanic ash to thick clay deposits. Viticulturist David Abreu and winemaker Helen Turley were brought in to develop Paradise Hills Vineyard into four distinct sections. Each sub-section is distinguished by unique subsoil and microclimate. Moreover, meticulously selected root stocks were grafted with clonal varieties of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot procured from first growth Bordeaux estates.